Tomlinson scores 16-yard TD, Chargers rally for 23-17 win in OT

Source: <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20071209010" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>

<img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071209/capt.27c9ff03116c4ecd802b9667d0d00d79.chargers_titans_football_tnmh106.jpg" alt="San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) scores a touchdown on a 16-yard run in the overtime period of an NFL football game to give the Chargers a 23-17 win over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007. Tomlinson ran for 146 yards in the game." height="204" width="329" />

By Teresa M. Walker

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 16-yard run with 7:29 left in overtime, and the Chargers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Tennessee Titans 23-17 on Sunday for their third straight victory and seventh in nine games.

With the win, the Chargers (8-5) needed only a Denver loss to Kansas City to clinch their second straight AFC West title.

Tennessee (7-6) had a chance to run out the clock in a game the Titans desperately needed to stay close to Cleveland and Jacksonville in the chase for the AFC's two wild card berths. But they gave the ball back to San Diego with 2:24 left in regulation and went three-and-out in overtime.

The loss wasted a strong performance by the Tennessee defense, which had five sacks and three interceptions. But the Titans couldn't get close enough to Philip Rivers, who overcame a sore left knee and two interceptions to throw two TD passes in the final 7:29 -- the last with 9 seconds left.

Rivers started the rally by tossing a 7-yard TD pass to Tomlinson with 7:29 left, pulling San Diego within 17-10 to cap a 92-second drive.

Vince Young, who was intercepted twice himself, missed Bo Scaife on third-and-4 on the Titans' next drive, and they had to punt.

Then Rivers moved the Chargers 80 yards in 2:15 even with one play erased by review when Tomlinson was ruled to have stepped out of bounds.

Rivers threw down the middle on fourth-and-5 to Chris Chambers for 20 yards on a catch against the ground, a play that stood when referee Bill Carollo ruled there wasn't indisputable evidence that the ball came out.

Rivers converted two more third downs, the last with his 2-yard TD toss to Antonio Gates to tie the game.

In overtime, the Titans forced the Chargers to punt. But San Diego was able to pin Tennessee at its 2, when Kassim Osgood stopped the ball from going into the end zone and Antonio Cromartie downed it.

The Titans ran twice, then Young threw incomplete.

That gave Tomlinson another chance. He ran on four of the six plays, the last his sprint out to the left and into the end zone to finish off the comeback. He finished with 26 carries for 146 yards.